Reform UK activists have been urged to divert from the Greater Manchester mayoral byelection to support Nigel Farage's "fake" contest 250 miles away in Clacton, according to a WhatsApp message seen by the Guardian.
WhatsApp message reveals shift in strategy
The message, sent to party members in north-west England on Wednesday, stated: "The message could not be more clear. We now need all of our fantastic activists, branch officers and councillors to come and help us in Clacton." It urged members to complete a volunteering form for the Essex byelection, adding: "We look forward to seeing you in Clacton."
A Reform UK councillor who received the message said the party was "desperate" to show support for its embattled leader, even at the expense of surrendering the chance to win the mayoralty. The councillor suggested it indicated the party "don't believe they can win" in Andy Burnham's backyard, and that it would give further ammunition to claims it had "a woman problem," as campaigners are diverted from helping its Greater Manchester candidate, Sian Astley, a local businesswoman and television personality.
Reform's ambitions in Greater Manchester
Reform UK had hoped to claim its biggest scalp yet in Greater Manchester, which will be electing a new mayor after Andy Burnham won the Makerfield byelection. The party won heavily across the region of 2 million voters in the May elections, gaining 106 seats, with polling indicating it is narrowly behind Labour. However, its campaign appears to have been upended by Farage's decision to call a snap byelection in his Clacton constituency amid questions over his financial interests.
Labour's candidate, Bev Craig, is the favourite to win the Greater Manchester byelection, which will be the biggest ever held in Britain, on 30 July. The Clacton contest is expected to take place a week later, on 6 August.
Party spokesperson denies targeted message
A Reform spokesperson said: "The WhatsApp message in question was shared with every single Reform UK branch chair across the country. It was not targeted at one specific area or region. We are taking both byelections incredibly seriously. Our campaign plans for the Greater Manchester mayor byelection remain unchanged."
Farage announced on Tuesday he was standing down from the seat he has held since the 2024 general election and would put himself forward again in what he has sought to portray as a "people versus the establishment" contest. However, his strategy appears to have backfired as his main rivals announced within hours they would boycott the byelection. At present, only the novelty candidate Count Binface and the former actor Laurence Fox, the leader of the rightwing Reclaim party, have announced they will stand against Farage.
Labour and Green reactions
Speaking at a campaign event on Thursday, Craig said the Clacton byelection was a "circus" and questioned whether Reform's appeal for activists in Essex was a ploy to "lull us into a false sense of security" in Greater Manchester. "The reality is … Reform is still a serious threat in Greater Manchester, so I will be campaigning hard to make sure that we win," she said.
A Green party spokesperson said: "Reform have now clearly given up in order to spend the next month taking on a guy with a bin on his head. Meanwhile the Green campaign here is taking off. People are seeing that Labour has failed and has run Manchester for big money and developers, not people, and we have a plan to do the opposite."
In the local elections eight weeks ago, Labour lost 108 councillors. Reform won 106 seats overall, including all but one of the 25 up for grabs in Wigan and 18 out of 19 in Tameside, once solidly Labour areas. The Greens, which also made significant gains in May, are believed to be in third place in the Greater Manchester byelection.
